Your username is your identity online. Whether you’re posting on forums, editing a wiki, playing games, or doing any other online activity that involves interacting with others, your username will be the first thing other people see. People will make assumptions about you based on the name you choose, so pick wisely! Follow this guide to learn some basic tips on creating your own username.

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Steps

Creating the Username

1

Know that your username represents you. Your username is going to be the first thing people see when they interact with you online. Make sure that you like your own username, because you’ll be seeing it a lot.

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2

Create different usernames for different services. Different places online may call for different styles of usernames. If you are registering for a professional website, you’ll probably want to use a different username than the gaming forum that you regularly post on.

You may want to break down your internet usage into two different categories: professional and personal interest. You can then use one username for all of your professional websites, and then use one username for all of your personal interest sites. This will make it easier for you to remember your usernames.

3

Stay anonymous. Avoid using any personally identifiable information when creating your username. This includes your first or last name or your birthdate.

Use a variation of your name that is easy for you to remember but difficult for others to associate with your name. Use your seldom-spoken middle name, for example, and spell it backwards.

4

Don’t give up if your first username is declined. Most major online services will already have most standard names already taken. If you are joining an older community, there is a strong chance that the name you want will not be available. Instead of settling for whatever replacement they try to give you, get creative!

5

Tap into your interests. If you're passionate about Brazil, for example, search the net for the names of flowers, warriors, or folk tale characters from the Amazon. If you like fixing up old cars, base your username around your favorite engine or car manufacturer.

6

Create a compound username. Use a combination of your interests to help you create a unique username. Combine two or more different words together to create a single username. This will help make your name more unique, and increase the chances that you will be able to use it.

7

Cross the language barrier. Look up words in other languages. Maybe the username "Writer" wasn't available, but its French equivalent "Ecrivain" is. You could also use a word from a fantasy language, such as Elvish or Klingon.

8

Keep it short. If you’re going to be typing in your username on a regular basis, you’ll appreciate a shorter name! Shorten long words (e.g. turn Mississippi to Miss or Missi) and try to keep the username easy to type.

9

Use symbols to simulate spaces and letters. Most websites won’t let you use a space in your username, but many will let you use the “_” character to mimic a space. You can also use certain numbers to replace letters, such as “7” instead of “T” or “3” instead of “E”. This is known as “leet speak”, and is typically found in online video gaming circles.

Periods are often used to separate words in usernames as well.

Don’t use your birth year at the end of your username, especially if you are a minor, as it makes it very easy to identify how old you are.

10

Try a name generator. There are a variety of random name generators available online. These will take various inputs and return a list of randomly-generated names that you can choose from. While this is less personal than creating your own, they work well if you are banging your head against your keyboard trying to think of something original.

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Tips

Don't make your username complicated or hard to remember, especially if you plan on sharing it with other people (e.g., being added to a buddy list).

Some websites like AIM will have a feature when you apply where you enter a few words and they will suggest 3-5 screen names for you. These will generally give you more original results however you shouldn't use it if you think you won't remember it.

Come up with a list of adjectives that describe you and find a way to incorporate them into your username.

For most sites, user names must be between 6-14 characters.

Write your username down somewhere near your computer, so as not to forget it. Make a note of which website the username is for, especially if you have multiple names for different sites.

You can also use the name as your email, but if it is for work, stay away from potentially embarrassing names.

In general, the more unique the username, the more likely you'll be able to use it for various websites, and the less you'll have to remember. On the other hand, if you make it too specific with personal information, your privacy may become an issue.

Warnings

Be sure to read the wikiHow Username Policy, but only if you are creating a name for wikiHow. The wikiHow username policy does not apply to sites in general.

Pay attention to the requirements of the website. More than often the instructions will state "Username must not contain any suggestive or inappropriate language."

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